Senior center arts, crafts sale Nov. 10

Opal Timmer likes the fact she can have fun and help others at the same time.

"I've always thought it would be fun to play with these ladies," said Timmer, who joined the Busy Bees about two months ago. "I'm having fun, and it's helping.

"The Senior Citizens Center does a lot for the community. It makes me feel good that my little crafts are doing some good."

Timmer, a self-proclaimed permanent snowbird from Nebraska, is the newest member of the Busy Bees, the quilting and crafting club that meets weekly at the Victoria Senior Citizens Center.

The group is in the final days of preparing items for the center's annual Christmas in November Arts and Crafts Sale scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 10 at 603 E. Murray St.

Mary Kliem, who turned 80 on Oct. 23, has overseen the annual sale for 16 years.

"We just try to raise funds to keep the Jubilee Store going," she said, referring to the senior citizens center's craft store. "Sock monkeys are still popular, and we can hardly keep baby quilts. We sell them as fast as we can make them."

The Busy Bees make their quilts and other items mostly from donated materials - cloth, beads and ribbons.

"We couldn't afford it if we didn't have the donations," Kliem said.

The group has about 14 members and Kliem is always welcome to more but knows quilting is becoming a lost art.

"Not a lot of people still have that needle in their hand," she said.

Debra Garner, executive director of the Victoria County Senior Citizens Association, said the annual sale is one of the organization's biggest fundraisers.

Victoria's two senior citizen locations - the second location is at 4009 Halsey St. - feed about 100 people a day at the center and 170 homebound.

"We appreciate the community support so much every year," she said. "The efforts of our volunteers and the community responding to it is such a blessing."

Garner said a limited number of spaces are also available for vendors to sell their wares during the annual sale.

Vendor spaces are $35 each.

"We will also have a meal for sale to-go only," Garner said. "We will deliver orders of 10 or more within a reasonable distance."